Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The Nip Zip (How to make a Catnip Pencil Holder)

In an earlier post, I mentioned a 'catnip pencil holder'. Yes we had one.

Now we have two.

Your normal capnip toy is small and hard. What it lacks in imagination, it more than makes up for in its ability to be overlooked and under utilized. It slides under couches and low to the floor tables. It gets hidden in dark corners under the drapes. All in all it is totally unsatisfactory for anyone, cat or owner. The former feeling that what is being provided is substandard and the latter refusing to throw good money after bad.

Dogs get to carry around larger toys. They get squeaky rubber things that rebound nicely when chomped on. They get stuffed chew toys that have some heft to them and that can be torn apart in a satisfying manner. Cats, by comparison, are poorly served. I have always felt that if you give a cat a proper toy, they will play with it rather than just turning up their noses in distain.

Our cats LOVE rolled up plastic bags. Tightly wound, the bag that serves to bring home the groceries of the ecologically challenged will also make a nice light brushing sound as it moves across a hard floor. It squishes properly into something that a cat can carry should it choose to do so. It is such an improvement on a little rubber ball with a bell.

On one of our trips to the local office supply, Ms Flippers found a zippered pencil case in the shape of a plush white sheep. It was cute. And we thought that it might make a good cat-sized toy if properly modified. Inside it we placed one plastic grocery bag as "stuffing". Then we added 3 large sprigs of (fresh) catnip from our herb garden. That little white lamb is now brown. Its zipper has been opened to accept fresh catnip on more than one occasion. It has been rubbed across the carpet by kitty cheeks. It has been drooled on, slept on, and carried from room to room to hide it from other interested parties.

Which is why we now have a second catnip pencil case - this one a brown bear.